Sunday 7th December 2025 (Advent 2)

ADVENT 2A 7th December 2025

Opening Prayers

I have come into this space,

Come, O come, Lord Jesus, Immanuel.

May I know your presence here with me, in this advent season.

May I know the light of your love shining through and into my life.

Peaceful and Gracious God,

I thank you today on this second Sunday in Advent,

For fulfilling your promises, spoken through prophets, in your son Jesus Christ,

Bringing chances of hope and peace in the prospect of a new era of justice.

Teach me to live in harmony as one people.

United in Christ, our living hope.

Give me the courage to look forwards and embrace the new year and the opportunities we can create:

For a new era of justice.

For peace amongst all.

For the hope of all nations.

May your kingdom be here on earth just as it is in Heaven. I ask this in your loving and powerful name. Amen.

You may now wish to say the Lord’s Prayer in a version or translation with which you are familiar.

Reading: Matthew 3:1-12 – Click for reading

Responding to the reading

John the Baptist bursts onto the scene in Matthew 3 with all the subtlety of a thunderclap. He’s out in the wilderness, wild in appearance and bold in message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

To many modern ears, “repent” sounds like a loaded word, maybe even an uncomfortable one. But at its root, repentance means to turn, to change direction, to reorient your life toward something deeper, truer, more life-giving.

John is calling people not just to feel sorry, but to wake up. To recognise the gap between who they are and who they’re called to be. And not just personally, but collectively, socially, spiritually. This is about transformation that bears real fruit.

“Bear fruit worthy of repentance,” John says. In other words: if your life is being changed by God, it should show. Not in perfection. Not in outward displays of religion. But in compassion. Justice. Humility. Courage.

For those of us seeking to follow Jesus in an open-minded and inclusive way, John’s words speak clearly: faith is not just about belief or identity: it’s about action. It’s about living differently, not to earn God’s love, but because we’re already loved, and that love demands a response.

John also challenges the religious assumptions of his day: “Don’t say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor.’” Don’t rely on status or heritage or the comfort of being “in.” God is doing a new thing. And if we’re paying attention, we’ll want to be part of it, not out of fear but out of a deep longing to align our lives with grace and justice.

In this season of Advent, John’s message meets us with urgency. As we prepare for Christ’s coming – not just at Christmas, but in every moment – we’re invited to ask:

• What in my life needs turning around?

• What fruit is growing from my faith?

• Am I open to the new thing God is doing, even if it disrupts my comfort?

John’s voice may be wild, but it is rooted in love. Love that wants us to live fully. Love that clears space for healing. Love that prepares the way for Christ to be born in us again and again.

May we be brave enough to repent, generous enough to bear fruit, and open enough to welcome the kingdom that is already coming near.

Hymn / Song: 707 STF – Make me a channel of your peace – YouTube

Responding in prayer

Holy God,

whose kingdom is justice and joy,

whose desire for humanity is flourishing for all,

help me to know your story intimately.

Help me to look upon the earth as you do:

• to see the broken beauty of creation

• to see the woeful state of the wonderfully created humanity

• to see the terrible imbalance of power, food, resources, between nations and peoples.

Holy God,

whose kingdom is justice and joy,

whose desire for humanity is flourishing for all,

help me to live your story faithfully.

Help me to walk upon this earth as Christ did:

• to challenge oppression and injustice

• to speak up for those who are silenced by others

• to rebel against the status quo which tells us some lives are worth more than others.

This advent, plant your story deep within me, and help me at be a good teller of the wonderful good news.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen.

Blessing

May you rise from this time, inspired. May you go from this place, uplifted. May you travel with the light of the Lord in your hearts, this day and always. Amen. ____________________________________________________________________

Prayers and Prayer Pointers For This Week

Monday 8th December

• Heavenly Father, I come before you in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

• We live in a broken world, a suffering and sad world. Our world is full of mourning, many injustices, unspoken apologies and uncomforted tears.

• Lord, today, I hold up the broken to your reconciling healing.

• I offer up this broken world, your world.

• God of each moment, fill them with your Shalom.

Tuesday 9th December

• Today is the Christian feast day of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Today, you might like to pray for families everywhere – including your own or those who live near you. Pray for family dynamics, for healing where there is hurt, for safety and peace.

Wednesday 10th December

• May you go from here with your heart stirred and your spirit awakened, ready to turn toward what is good, just, and true.

• May the voice in the wilderness echo in your soul, calling you not to fear, but to prepare, to clear the way for love, and to make room for grace in places you thought were barren. Amen.

Thursday 11th December

• May you bear fruit that nourishes others – compassion, courage, peace, and joy – and may you know that the Christ who is coming also comes to meet you now, right where you are. Amen.

Friday 12th December

• On this day in 1866 was the Oaks explosion – the worst mining disaster in English history. You might like to pray for all who risk their lives in jobs, roles or volunteer positions that are essential to keep our society functioning. Those who help make our world a safer, fairer place.

Saturday 13th December

• Today is the Saint Day of St Lucy. Lucia comes from the same root as the Latin word for light, lux. A number of traditions incorporate symbolic meaning of St. Lucy as the bearer of light in the darkness of winter, hence the marking of this day in the midst of winter.

• In the long, dark evenings that come at this time of year, you might like to light a candle and say prayers for light to shine in dark places – in your life, in your community, in the world.